The Houston Astros have lost another star from their starting lineup.
Manager Dusty Baker announced that Yordan Alvarez has a knee injury that will require surgery to fix, meaning that his season is officially over. Alvarez is the reigning American League Rookie of the Year.
Alvarez was already recovering from an undisclosed injury that put him on the 10-day injury list at the start of the season. He is now back on the IL with what the team referred to as “right knee discomfort.”
The Astros offense has been sluggish this year and they were hoping that Alvarez’s return would be enough to spark some much-needed scoring. The 23-year-old player hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat of the season.
With Alvarez gone, it’s going to be an uphill battle to score runs.
The Astros are already reeling from the loss of two of their big pitchers, starter and reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and their best reliever Roberto Osuna, who are both out with injuries.
Verlander was initially presumed to be out for the season, but the Astros think that there might be a chance he returns later in the year, even though it won’t be any time soon. Osuna will also be out for a long while as well with an elbow issue that’s keeping him on the IL.
